Managing Expectations Regarding the Reopening of Disney World – A Word of Caution

Many folks have collectively been losing their minds with excitement all over the internet for the past week or so whether it be on their own social media channels or within articles on various Disney blogs because they are noticing that select restaurants and Resort hotels at Walt Disney World have begun to accept reservations beginning July 1, 2020.

Despite the fact that we still have no announcement from Disney confirming that the theme parks will reopen on a certain date, folks around the world are jumping to conclusions and I am just here to remind those of you who are getting overly excited about this to please manage your expectations carefully to avoid major disappointment. While a July 1st reopening date sounds fabulous, it's not set in stone just yet.

We already know that Disney Springs is getting ready to begin welcoming guests to most shops and restaurants on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, and a lot of preparation is being done currently to get ready. I'm not planning on heading there right away as I want to sort of sit back for a little bit and watch how things go. Much of the spread of this horrible virus is going to depend on our fellow Disney fans and how diligent they are about washing their hands, using hand sanitizer (which, by the way, Magic Candle Company has some AMAZING ones and you can get a 15% discount on your entire order by entering the code DISNEYINFO upon checkout) not touching their faces, wearing face masks, and especially not touching all of the fabulous Disney merchandise that we all love so much then putting it back on the shelf all germy and what-not.

I am just as excited as all of you to start seeing happy Disney fans in the theme parks once again, but I also know that they can't just turn the proverbial light switch back on. In fact, during an interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Chapek stated that they are very happy with what they're seeing with the re-opening of Shanghai Disneyland yesterday and intend on rolling out a "stair-step" method when they reopen the U.S. theme parks by increasing each park's capacity by 5,000 guests per week.

Now, I want to be clear and say that I am certainly not trying to discourage anyone from visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth as soon as it reopens, but if you do decide to book Advance Dining Reservations or Disney Resort hotel accommodations in July, please keep it in the back of your mind that our beloved theme parks might not yet be open and you may have to reschedule your vacations – again, in some cases.

I'd also like to point out that in this morning's Orange County Task Force meeting, Thomas Mazloum, SVP of Walt Disney World Resorts and Transportation Operations, emphasized that the July 1st reservation availability does not mean that Disney will open on a certain date. You can watch/listen to the full meeting below.

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